Devil Inside
by ErikaHK
Summary: A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 1/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!!!

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

"So, what's so special about these ruins?" John Sheppard asked, almost one hour after McKay started to mutter busy on the ancient panels.

"Hmmm?" McKay mumbled distractedly.

"Rodney!" John waved a hand in front of his eyes to grab his attention.

"What?" Rodney lifted his head from the console, annoyed.

"What's up with the mumbling? Anything of importance?"

"I'll let you know." Rodney lowered his head back to work and gained a disapproving nod from the Colonel.

John thought it would be better to be spared from the stress, so he left the scientist alone. Rodney's bad mood was highly contagious and often spread throughout the entire scientific staff. Now there were five scientists working on different parts of the ruins, all in the same large room, meaning John could hear the Czech curses from one corner, German from another and Italian from the center.

He exited the room through the long corridor and left the brilliant minds by themselves having all the fun while he had the guard duty. It had to be some kind of torture. Elizabeth had the twinkle in her eyes when she sent him on this mission. Something about light duty after the last incident on an offworld mission, but how could he know that the usually universal language of nodding yes or no had the opposite meaning on an alien planet? The offence wasn't so bad, just prevented them from getting the juicy fruits for a salad. And of course, the threats of decapitation. Nothing they couldn't handle.

The ruin wasn't big. It consisted of one long corridor of approximately fifty meters with ten big rooms coming out of it, two every ten meters, one on each side. It had the usual ancient design and feel, but was in a much worse condition than the normal ten thousand year old ruins. The planet had some very active tectonic plates that destroyed several parts of the place for the last few years. Add to that the accumulated dust and dirt of over ten millennia, which also contributed to the constant sneezing of one unfortunate allergic scientist that forgot the meds. A whole week having to stand this would make him go crazy.

How come Ronon and Teyla could get the week off and he had to 'relax' on 'light duty'? It was immensely unfair, but discussing it with Carson or Elizabeth didn't get him anywhere. Just here. Poor Lorne also got the guarding shift with five more marines. They were all outside the place with the most bored faces in the Pegasus Galaxy. John arrived at the camp set up for the week and sat down trying to look like he actually cared for this mission. Lots of dangers could be lurking around the pretty fields covered in grass and flowers. Maybe some wild animals, alien snakes and bugs. All these dangers to the scientific team required heavy security. It's a totally justified waste of manpower. But of course, you can't be too careful in this galaxy.

"The perimeter is set, Colonel." Major Lorne reported after a few minutes. "Drake and Takafuji got the first shift."

"Ok, Major." John got up, he was tired of relaxing. "I'll be inside the ruins."

"Yes, Sir."

Maybe some exploring would distract him.

**…**

"Aha!" Rodney shouted from under the console after hours working on the power settings. "I'm a genius!"

He got up, wiped the dust off his uniform, and connected the laptop to a terminal above the panel. A few seconds after that, the whole room lit up faintly. He looked around his staff to receive the looks of approval. His smile faded a second later when the Chinese woman whose name he could never remember accidentally disconnected a cable, plunging the place into total darkness. She quickly connected it again with a shy smile. He simply frowned and scowled in disapproval.

"So, what did you find?" Sheppard stood on the doorway with his usual rakish look.

"I fixed the whole power grid." Rodney spoke in a condescending tone. "We can try to have a look on that ancient database now." He turned to his laptop that now displayed a screen full of indecipherable ancient symbols and cursed.

Sheppard trailed inside the room. "What?" He peeked curiously over Rodney's shoulder.

"It's encrypted." Rodney frowned. "It will take days to figure this one out." He started typing on his notebook.

"Did you take a look at the other rooms?" Sheppard disrupted his concentration in an innocent voice that really annoyed him.

"Superficially. Why?" Rodney stopped his activity to look at the Colonel.

"It's just that I saw something strange."

"Define strange." He was running out of patience.

"Don't you know what strange means?" Sheppard said sarcastically.

"Haha. I'm laughing. Now what did you see?"

"A box with blinking colored lights." Sheppard now had Rodney's interest.

"Really? Where?"

"Just over in that lab." The Colonel waved a hand to the corridor.

"Radek!" Rodney dropped his tools on the console and called the Czech.

Radek Zelenka lifted his dirty face from under another panel adjusting his glasses.

"Yes?" He looked around until he found Rodney.

"Continue with this encrypted data. I'll be right back." Rodney pointed his thumb over his shoulder then left through the door after Sheppard.

The other lab was just across the corridor and was a complete wreck. Some columns had fallen over a group of panels in the middle of the room and large pieces of the ceiling were scattered over the floor. There were several tables by the walls with some ancient devices. On one of these tables was the box the Colonel had mentioned. It had the size of a PC tower with a smooth black surface and five tiny lights at the bottom, each of a different color. It didn't have any cables coming out of it, but it looked powered up.

"Did you touch it?" Rodney leaned his head back to look down the ridge of his nose at him.

"No…"

"Good."

Rodney leaned over the table to have a closer look. He took out his ancient sensor from the vest pocket and started analyzing the object. Seconds later, he picked up a faint energy signal coming from the object. He smiled pleased.

"So, is it worth something?" Sheppard said from over his shoulder.

Rodney looked up and gave him a small smile from where he leant over the machine.

"Certainly is." It was worth something. It had its own power source, but obviously it was almost depleted after ten thousand years. Only something very important would require a box with an independent power supply to contain it. It worked non-stop for all this time and didn't have much more energy left. He touched the surface carefully and felt a buzz climbing his arm. He backed his hand away immediately.

"What?"

"It's buzzing." Rodney pointed his finger to the object.

Suddenly a bright light came from the top of the box in a beam that illuminated the whole room. Both men took a step backwards; looking at it and then to each other. The beam faded slightly and took the shape of a sphere floating over the box. The sphere flashed instantly and flew towards the two of them.

"Get down!" Rodney heard Sheppard's shouted warning and dived to the dirt, covering his head with his hands. As the light in the room dissipated, he cautiously raised his head and to discover the sphere was gone. He grinned in relief. "That was close." His smile faded as he turned to discover the Colonel lying on the floor, unconscious.

**…**

* * *

TBC… 


	2. Chapter 2

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 2/14  
**Word count: **1.400  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

**  
**

_**Chapter 2**_

He woke up with voices all around him. He smelled dust in the air and felt the cold floor beneath his body. He moved his fingers. It felt good after all this time. His eyes flickered for a moment before opening. When it did he saw blurry faces staring down at him. He blinked a few times. His head was hurting. Even this unpleasant sensation gave him satisfaction. It was good to finally feel something after an unending void of blackness.

Someone spoke to him. He tried to make out the words. It was difficult after so long without any practice, but the other man continued to speak insistently. After a short period of adjustment he could access the information of the host body. The name of the other man was Rodney. He was irritating and very intelligent. He was a friend of the host. John Sheppard. That's who he was now. He raised the corner of his lip. He looked at each one of the faces and started to sit up. They looked concerned.

A rush of information started to come through his mind. So much had happened after so many years. Ten thousand years. These people were descendants of his captors. The Lanteans had run away to their original galaxy, but they were back now. He would be able to complete his task now.

"I'm fine." He finally managed to find his voice and form the right words.

"What the hell happened?" The irritating man asked.

"Just a buzz. Nothing more." He answered calmly.

"Just a buzz?!" The other man continued. It looked like he did not know when or how to stop. He was making the headache worse. "You fainted!"

"I passed out." He didn't know why saying this was important, but he did. It was something that came from the brain of the host. After a lot of experience he learned not to stop these little demonstrations of personality emerging. It made it easier to avoid detection.

"You were attacked by a sphere of energy!" The annoying man raised his voice even more.

"Just a defense mechanism. You shouldn't have touched it." He managed to show some humor behind the phase.

He liked this host. He had the strong body of a soldier and was on the top of the military hierarchy of Atlantis. Beside all that, he also had a pleasing personality. He never encountered an Lantean with sense of humor before. But these descendants seemed to have a lighter mood. He gave a pleased smile and received a roll of eyes from his new friend.

"Are you sure you are fine, Colonel?" A scientist with a different accent spoke.

"Yes," He remembered the name of the man. "Zelenka."

"Fine. Everyone back to work." Rodney shouted to his staff then got up and resumed his observation on the prison box.

He got up too and felt his legs sustaining his body. His hands went straight to rest over the weapon attached to his vest. He was proud of himself. He was still able to perform his task perfectly even after all that time. He needed a plan now, so while his mind worked on it, he would just try to behave like the Colonel did normally. He got closer to Rodney.

"While you have fun in here, I'll just get some fresh air."

Rodney just waved his hand dismissively and didn't pay much attention to him. He turned Sheppard's body around and walked to the corridor. When he exited the building he felt the sunlight and the heat on his face. He closed his eyes instinctively. It was bright outside. He slowly opened them, taking his time to enjoy the sensation. It smelled of flowers in the field, the sky was bright blue and no clouds were visible. A man beside him was guarding the entrance of the ruins and saluted with intense energy.

"Colonel, Sir!" He was a young soldier.

He smiled. The host was amused by the liveliness of the young marines. He allowed himself some fun and saluted back before continuing his way out. His smile was broad while he stepped on the grass and saw the insects running and buzzing around his feet. He sat on the ground beside a tent and stretched his muscles. He would just stay here, relax and think about his mission.

**…**

"It's useless!" Rodney's frustrated outburst peaked the interest of the Chinese woman in the doorway.

She took a step forward. "What is the problem, Dr. McKay?"

"It has no more power." He waved furiously at the box. "That damn burst of energy must've depleted it. Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

The small woman just continued to stare at him in silence.

"What do you want?" Rodney asked, irritated by her attitude.

"Dr. Zelenka is calling for you, Dr.." She lowered her head and left the room.

Rodney followed her out of the lab and into the control room. Radek still worked on the laptop displaying the encrypted ancient database.

"What do you have?" He asked the Czech.

"There appears to be a different algorithm for each folder of the database." A deep line appeared on his forehead.

"Just what we need." Rodney took the laptop away from the other scientist and looked at the progress. "At least you were able to decrypt the first phrase of the whole database!" He said sarcastically. "And look! Without translating it!"

"It's a lot more complicated than the usual ancient codes." Zelenka said defensively.

Rodney was typing commands to the notebook and another folder appeared. "It's not that complicated! You just need a brain." He snapped his fingers, trying to remember the name of the Italian woman. "Gasper, come here."

"Gaspri." The woman corrected before walking to him.

"Yeah, you know what this means?" He indicated the folder.

She approached him and leaned over the panel. She looked at the word for a few seconds before responding.

"That's the word used to refer the idea of possession." She spoke in a heavy accent.

"Really?" He wore an intrigued look. "What kind of research would ancients do about possession?" He opened the folder. The inside content was also encrypted.

"Great, a different encryption algorithm! Didn't the ancients have anything better to do than invent new ways to make it more difficult to read their research?" Rodney took the laptop to the floor and seated himself before it to continue working on the problem.

"Rodney?" Radek stood over him, irritated.

"What?"

"I was working on that laptop."

"Just take another one, we have plenty." He heard the annoyed curse from the Czech as he immersed himself in the task.

**…**

The day had gone by when Rodney finally lifted his head from the screen of the computer. Beside him laid a pile of power bar wrappers and a few crumbs covered his lap. He felt tired and no progress whatsoever had been made on the code. Only he and Radek were left inside the room. He looked at his watch, surprised to find it was past eleven.

"Any progress, Radek?" He asked tiredly.

"Not much." Came the equally tired response. "Why don't we continue this on the morning?" He headed for the door.

"Good idea." Rodney got up with his laptop under one arm and headed outside after Radek.

The night was cool and a fireplace lit the camp nearby. Sheppard was still outside his tent staring at the night sky like a damn fool. Suddenly he lowered his head, staring at the scientist with a confused look.

"What the hell?" He said getting up from his seat.

"What's the problem?"

"What time is it?" Sheppard's look was freaking him out.

"Eleven, er, I mean, twenty three hundred." Rodney answered without looking at his watch. "Are you okay?" He asked after a few moments absorbing the confusion on his friend.

"I blacked out for the whole day?" Sheppard looked around the place.

"What do you mean blacked out?

"After the light thing."

"No. What do you mean? You got up immediately after and came outside." Maybe the energy strike had messed with his head?

"I don't remember getting up." The Colonel was obviously distressed.

"Are you sure?" Rodney examined his look closely to figure out what was happening.

No response came. Sheppard simply looked around nervously once more.

"What the hell is going on?" Sheppard finally asked.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 3/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

Rodney insisted on bringing him personally to Atlantis. John insisted he didn't need a babysitter, but the scientist wouldn't take no for an answer. Rodney was a real pain. John couldn't blame him for worrying, though. He was freaked out by this too. Blacking out for a whole day couldn't be good stuff. That energy blast did something to his head and he wasn't comfortable with the stares of Lorne and the other marines when they'd figured out he didn't remember anything about sitting the whole day looking at the sky. He didn't like making his men nervous, wondering if their CO had lost it.

He wasn't nuts. He was sure of that. Just because he did stuff he couldn't remember didn't necessarily mean that he was crazy, only forgetful - which is a little better than complete craziness.

Dr. Beckett ran a MRI of his brain, took samples of his blood and happily poked him with sharp objects for one hour. Insisting that he was okay now had no effect on the good doctor and Rodney simply stood by the doorway staring at him with a stupid silly face that was beginning to annoy him. It looked like Rodney actually liked John's position. And the strangest thing was that Rodney didn't say one word since Carson begun his exam.

"Everything seems normal, Colonel." Carson looked down at his chart. "At least on the results we have so far."

"You sure?" John thought missing a day was far from normal.

"Maybe the effect was temporary. Didn't you say it could be a defense mechanism, Rodney?" The doctor directed his eyes at the unusually quiet scientist.

"Yeah. Defense mechanism. Sounds reasonable to me."

"I would like to keep you on Atlantis for observation, though. If it happens again call me straight away, hear me lad?" Carson directed him a look that could make anyone feel guilty.

"Right, doc. If I black out again you'll be the first one to know." Sheppard got up and promptly went to the door.

"Okay, you can go to your usual business, but stay away from the stargate." Carson ordered, gathering the samples to take to the lab'

"I'll just be going back now." Rodney spoke, touching Carson's shoulder as he passed by him. He looked at the doctor with a blank face and stared back at John confused. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" John noticed that Rodney's expression deepened.

"We were just on the planet talking about you blacking out, and now I'm here." He paused. "I think I blacked out too."

"That could the effect of the energy beam, Rodney. We discussed it." Carson said. "Maybe it would be better if you both stayed for observation. Just report to me if it happens again."

"Shouldn't you be collecting samples and taking MRIs from us?"

"I already took the ones from Sheppard, Rodney. Scans were normal."

"What about me? What if I forget vital information for the correct operation of the city?" Rodney desperately moved his hands around.

"Somehow I doubt that Rodney, but if makes you more comfortable." Carson indicated the table John had just vacated.

**…**

"This is just great!" Rodney was still complaining about the medical leave Carson ordered for them both.

John and Rodney were both in the empty mess hall having a very late dinner. They had to break into the kitchen to grab what was available for consumption. All they could find were a couple of sandwiches of mayonnaise and ham. Hardly the usual combination, but it wasn't bad.

"You were the one that told me not to touch it. '_Leave it for professionals'_. I believe that's what you usually tell us."

"That's not the point. I know how to touch strange objects. It was running out of power. It must've been a programmed response when the power levels reach critical levels. A fail safe." Rodney explained with a mouth full of food.

John, unlike his present company, was actually polite and waited until he swallowed before speaking. "Fail safe for what?"

"I think it was keeping something inside. It opened briefly before the blast. The fail safe would let whatever was inside escape instead of being trapped inside the box without life support." Rodney waved the sandwich around while he spoke.

"And you know this how?"

"Just a theory I've been cooking for the last hour. It makes perfect sense. That beam of light must've been an indication of whatever was inside. Maybe a defense mechanism to protect the exit, you know? Back away whoever's close."

"So the blast was some kind of attack?"

"Maybe."

"What has escaped? If it's dangerous and it's still on the planet-"

"The others could be in danger." Rodney completed Sheppard's thought with a frown.

"We should warn them." John got up.

"You mean now? It's one in the morning!" Rodney remained seated.

"Yeah, if it's dangerous to the point of attacking us both, it could attack them while they're asleep."

John's explanation made Rodney promptly stand and they both hurried out of the mess hall.

**…**

"Couldn't you both be overreacting?" Elizabeth stood at the doorway of her quarters in her night robes. "Calling off the science team before we have any indication that they are really in danger seems harsh. It is night on that planet too, isn't it?"

"It may be, but I think it's better to be safe than sorry. If this theory is correct, and I'm sure it is," Rodney smirked "than they could be in danger. If the ancients were keeping something trapped there, after ten thousand years I think it would be really upset. You remember the last time, don't you Elizabeth?" Rodney remembered the occasion in which he had to be the bait to get the being out of the city.

"It attacked us." Sheppard helpfully added.

"You can't be sure it was an attack. For all we know it could have been a malfunction due the lack of power or the damage suffered in the earthquakes."

"Malfunctions don't direct their energy beams into precise targets. If it was random it would hit the wall, or something." A little robot inside him screamed 'Danger Will Robinson!'

"It can wait 'till morning. If nothing happens during the night, then we'll have no reason to overreact. The team stays for the night." She gave her final word and Rodney knew better than to try to change her mind.

Rodney looked at Sheppard, expecting him to use his magical charm to make her change her position, but regardless of his effort in making the pleading eyes, she appeared to be immune. Finally they both sighed.

"Fine. We contact them in the morning." Sheppard agreed and both left to their respective quarters.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 4/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

A/N: Sorry, I meant to update this yesterday, but RL got in the way! I hope that I'm able to post the next chap later today. Thanks for all the reviews: D

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

He stood at his desk staring at the computer screen without really being immersed in the task of reading the content of the medical report. He was able to successfully enter the city of the Lanteans and just had to begin to put his plan in motion. His goal was simple, but he appreciated the thought of taking his time in order to extract the maximum pleasure from the situation. Make them confused at first, make them suffer next, only to kill them all at the end. The confusion part had already started.

Defense mechanism. He laughed at his brilliance. That would have them running around their tails. He had two people that hated medical leaves wondering why the hell they couldn't remember hours of their lives. He'd have to leave the doctor after a few hours to have him think he was affected too. Then go briefly to someone else and keep jumping around. They would eventually put the pieces together, then he would move to the second part of his plan.

In the meantime, he could go around and do make use of the doctor's body. Talk to people, explore, and maybe cause some accident. He spun his chair across the room.

He got up and exited the infirmary. He knew the doctor should be on his shift now, but he went outside, ignoring the nurse that called him. Too bad it was the night period now. Not a lot of people wander around the city at this time. He just followed the corridors without a destination, taking any turn he desired and going to parts of the city unknown to the host; to get to know the place. Possibly he could visit some critical areas and do some sabotage later. He smiled.

**…**

Morning came without any alerts from MX4-979. John Sheppard waited anxiously in the Control Room with Rodney when Elizabeth came from her office ordering the technician to dial the planet. They both approached her by the console and crossed their arms. There was a little voice inside John telling him that there was something wrong in that box. He was sure that Rodney felt that way too.

The 'gate kawooshed and Lorne was called on the radio.

"Lorne here." Lorne's voice came from the comm in the Control room.

"Major, this is Weir. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay expressed their concerns about what could have been inside the box they opened yesterday. Is Dr. Zelenka there?"

"He's here." There was a pause.

"Dr. Weir? This is Zelenka."

"Radek, anything unusual happened during the night?" Rodney asked abruptly.

"No, Rodney. Why?"

"We think some kind of entity could have been inside that box that we opened. Did you get near it?" Rodney's voice was filled with concern.

"Yes, that would match my findings on that database we're decrypting-"

"What findings?" Rodney cut the other scientist before he could continue.

"I'm not sure. It was just a mention of experimentations in that lab involving an energy being. I was going to check it." His voice was carried with the accent.

"I don't think it would be a good idea." John spoke.

"Radek, are you sure about this?" Elizabeth came into the conversation.

"We've only been able to decrypt and translate a little information since yesterday. But it clearly indicated that lab is being used for these kinds of experiments. I think it escaped, but there is no residual energy anywhere in the ruins."

Elizabeth stared a spot on the floor while she listened to the scientist's explanation. "Do you think it could have died?"

"I will know more after working further on the data banks."

"Ok Radek. Report if anything happens." Elizabeth concluded.

"Anything at all." Rodney added.

After that the stargate was deactivated and the three exchanged glances.

"I should go there to help him." Rodney said after only a second.

"No, Rodney. Carson said-" Elizabeth began.

"Forget what Carson said." Rodney interrupted her. "He needs my help." He waved his hand towards the 'gate.

"I'll go talk to Carson. He'll have the final word." Elizabeth said diplomatically.

"Elizabeth, you know I'm the best person to figure out this problem." Rodney continued.

"We don't even know if we have a problem."

She just kept repeating the same line and John got tired of it. "That thing attacked us both and is somewhere out there. We don't know what it is or its intentions, but it's hostile and a threat to us." John finally spoke his mind.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do." He couldn't explain. He just knew it. He knew it since he recovered from the blackout and it was just yelling at him now.

"How?"

"I don't know. It's a gut feeling."

"Yes, I feel it too." Rodney raised his finger.

"Your judgments could have been compromised by the energy blast. We'll talk to Dr. Beckett first." She lifted her finger and made that face that indicated that the matter was over and they both sighed in defeat.

**…**

"Elizabeth?" Carson stared blankly at her as she appeared right in front of him. She wasn't at the infirmary before. And what happened to the samples he was carrying?

"Carson?" She starred back at the confused doctor.

"I…" He didn't know what to say.

"I know that look. It means you blacked out too, doesn't it?" Rodney pointed out what he was thinking.

"I think so." He tried to make out the past events in his head. "I was taking the colonel's samples to the lab…" and now he was here.

"You still think we don't have a problem?" Rodney starred angrily at Elizabeth.

There was a moment of silence while Carson tried to work out what could be causing this.

"Carson, what do you think this could be?" Elizabeth asked.

"Honestly Elizabeth, I have no idea." His best theory was that the Colonel's nervous synapses could have been temporarily disrupted by the energy blast from the planet, but that wouldn't explain the symptoms on himself. He just thought it was very strange and wrong. "Colonel, did you have any other lapses?"

"No new blackouts from me or from Rodney."

"Rodney?" Carson asked confused.

"I had a blackout too. Right here, actually. You had just examined Sheppard-"

"Wait a minute." Sheppard interrupted. "My blackout started right after the energy blast and ended at night when I was talking to Rodney. Rodney's blackout started right when he was talking to me and ended here at the infirmary, right when yours started, doc. That can't be a coincidence."

"Oh my God." Rodney's expression dimmed. "We brought it here with us. It's here in the city."

"What's in the city?" He asked unable to control the heavy brogue.

"We believe that an entity could have caused the memory lapses." Elizabeth explained.

"You're saying that something got into us?"

"If something got inside us, there could be a security compromise." Sheppard added.

"That's it. No one gets in or out of the city until I have some answers. I also want to know what exactly you've been doing for the entire night and the people you met, Carson."

"He went right past me last night in the middle of his shift, without even looking at me." A nurse working nearby spoke. "I called you, but you didn't respond, doctor." She smiled, but it soon faded.

"Ow bugger! I am sorry Ana."

"It's okay, it was a quiet night." She said casually. "Well, my shift is over now."

"Yes, you can go dear." Carson rubbed the back of his neck. Whatever he did the entire night, it made him tired.

"I'll inquire about any suspicious behavior and try to find out what you've been up to, Doc." Sheppard said before leaving.

"And I'll need the database from Radek to work on it from here." Rodney said.

"Okay, let's go." Elizabeth spoke and both left Carson alone in the infirmary wondering what they had gotten themselves into this time.

**…**

* * *

TBC…

A/N: And the hunt begins!


	5. Chapter 5

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 5/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

John, Teyla and Ronon talked to people for a couple of hours only to find out nothing out of the ordinary was seen in the doctor during the past night, except for the fact that he was supposed to be on duty and decided to take a walk instead. Carson had gone to the mess hall at the usual time and ate the usual breakfast. Didn't talk much with anyone and smiled a lot, he was even heard giggling with no one knowing why.

John went to the city sensors to track him down, and after some time following random dots he finally discovered which one he was. Backtracking him, the pilot discovered that Carson wandered around the city for hours before going to the mess hall. He had visited some suspicious places that were usually out of limits, and there really isn't much a doctor needs to do in the ZPM room. He contacted Rodney to let him know and the team was now headed that way to check if the Zero Point Module had been tampered with.

"What did he intend to do here, anyway? Perform a surgery on the power supply?" Rodney only complained since John interrupted his decryption work.

"It wasn't him that came here, Rodney." John leaned against the console of the room they just entered.

"Are you sure there was something inside the doctor?" Teyla asked the Colonel.

"There is some kind of feeling just present, you know?" He tried to find the words, but failed. It was something that only one who had carried the being inside them knew.

"And you feel that way too, Rodney?" She looked at the busy doctor looking for clues to know if he really listened to her.

"Oh yes, yes." He answered after a beat lifting his head and then went back to work. "It's like feeling violated or something, I don't know."

"If that's true, how do we find it?" Ronon was leaning on the wall.

John just shrugged. There wasn't much to do. The only clues he noticed was unusual grins and smiles, but anyone was susceptible to that on a good day. A sillier mood could have an explanation as simple as being in love. Holding and questioning everyone that giggled wasn't practical, and the entity could pass to another person before they could notice anything wrong.

"Did you notice anything different about Elizabeth after the entity came out from Carson? Smiles, giggling, silly mood?" John asked.

"No, nothing. Why?" Rodney looked at him.

"That's how the behavior of the people affected is often described."

"Well, it seems that certain proximity is required for the transfer, and if Elizabeth was being herself, you are being yourself, and I am myself, then that leaves…"

"The nurse." John finished.

**…**

They tracked down the nurse back to her quarters and stood outside her door. John looked at the Satedan on his left and the Athosian on his right. If the creature was really inside her they would better not act like they suspected otherwise it could simply jump to someone else. He reminded his two companions that they should keep their distance and all of them took a step back when the door opened and revealed the young woman. She was still on her uniform and looked very disconcerted.

"Colonel Sheppard!" She sounded surprise. "I was just on my way to the infirmary. It seems that I had a blackout too."

John eyed her closely but still kept a couple of steps away from her. He tried to sound unsuspicious. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"It was right after my shift ended, and then… I was here." Her eyes narrowed as she tried to remember the events in between, but the slight negative nod gave away that she wasn't successful.

She looked pretty much normal considering the circumstances. John decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Were you with someone when you came back to yourself?"

"Actually, I was with my boyfriend. He was saying good morning before going to work." She tilted her head puzzled with John's interest in her.

Her response felt genuine and that same little voice inside him was telling him that she was clear. That left the boyfriend to be tracked down. "Who's your boyfriend?"

"Uhmm… he's Dr. Chan from the Astronomy lab." Her gaze turned briefly to the two aliens beside him.

She looked uneasy being interrogated by him, but he didn't have any other choice. She was obviously uncomforted by the whole situation and he sympathized with the feeling; he felt the same way when it happened to him.

"You should have Beckett examine you."

She only nodded and turned to walk way. John looked at Teyla. "Go with her, make sure she gets there. We'll track down the boyfriend."

They left their separate ways, Teyla and Ana to the infirmary and John and Ronon to the Astronomy lab in silence.

This was feeling like a cat and mouse game. First track Carson's path, then the nurse, and now Dr. Chan. He was not sure what to do once he located the creature. He didn't even know its intentions. All he had was a gut feeling to follow. Something that didn't speak to him, simply buzzed. Like a red alert that went off whenever something was wrong was screaming in a louder tone the closer it got. He wasn't sure what it was, what it meant or why it happened, but his training made him trust all of his instincts, and he did. The curious part was that this feeling got more tuned the longer it lasted instead of simply dying after a period.

They got to the observation lab and only two scientists were working, none of which was Chinese. One of them lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head at the sight of the two men at the entrance.

"Where is Dr. Chan?" John asked.

"He still hasn't arrived." One of the men aswered.

"Have you seen him?"

"No, maybe he's got something else to do before work." He looked at the other scientist.

"I don't know. All I know is that we were supposed to analyze the findings from last week at breakfast, but he didn't show up, which is starting to get _preeeetty_ common." The other man sounded somewhat annoyed at the colleague's attitude. "That damn girlfriend of his."

"Right. Tell me if you see him, but don't let him know we came looking for him, ok?"

If it kept going like this he would need help. He tapped his headset. "Lieutenant Brown this is Sheppard." He waited for the response.

"Yes Sir, this is Brown."

"I want two teams of marines with stunners to meet me in front of Dr. Weir's office ASAP."

"Yes Sir! Right away!"

He hurried his pace towards the neared transporter. He thought that only two teams of marines were too few to search for the scientist, but he didn't want to sound any alarms just yet. There was no reason to believe that the entity knew that they were aware of its presence in the city and he wanted to hold on to this advantage.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 6/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

So it had started, they were after him. Time to go to part two of his plan. The fear will grow at an exponential rate after a few disappearances and mysterious fights and struggles. Jumping around all the time. No one ever aware of who he is. His smile was broad. That was always his favorite part. The hunting, the suspense, the action. First he would indulge himself. See how long it would take for him to be found by someone.

He walked without a destination again going away from the search parties to a harmless area of the city. Just a few empty unused labs. If they knew he was in the city, they would concentrate the search on more vital areas expecting some kind of sabotage. They were right of course; he would do that, but not now. There was too much fun to be had and he wouldn't waste it.

He picked a room and entered. It had the perfect lighting. The doorway was unfortunately dark, but inside the lab was not so dimly lit. A few broken panels on the side indicated that there was something wrong with the illumination of the section.

Now he just had to wait.

**…**

John entered Elizabeth's office with Ronon closely behind him. He was about to talk to her when she lifted her head from the laptop screen and looked at him.

"I've been able to translate what little of the database has been decrypted." She turned the laptop to show it to him. "This research talks about the possession of humans hosts by an entity made of energy that appears to pass from one person to another through touch." She cocked an eyebrow.

He nodded imitating her expression. "We tracked the thing down to Dr. Chan, but we failed to locate him in his lab. I called some marines to help find him."

"Just be sure to tell then not to touch him."

"Also, in any case, the creature seems to have its own personality, so if you see anyone suspiciously giddy or silly…" He left the sentence unfinished and simply tilted his head and shrugged.

At that moment Teyla entered the office. "The nurse is being examined."

"Okay." John turned and headed towards the group of marines standing outside. "Listen up." He waited a few seconds until everyone looked at him. "We are tracking down a creature that takes over human hosts and only a mere touch is able to transfer this energy being from one person to another, so be careful. We believe that the entity is in the body of Dr. Chan from the Astronomy lab; our job is to find him without causing any suspicion, 'cause it doesn't know we are aware of its presence. We'll divide into groups of two and head first to the main areas of the city then proceed to more critical areas. Once you find him, contact me immediately and don't get close to him." His eyes surveyed each of the faces. "If necessary stun him. Let's go." He started walking, followed by the marines, and indicated the directions each pair should follow on the way. In the end he was left with Teyla and Ronon going to the living areas.

**…**

The search was taking longer than he thought it would, and after an hour the radio cracked again only to report that the mess hall, main tower and east pier were clear. He started to concentrate the search on the critical areas, starting with the ZPM room where Rodney still worked.

"Anyone show up here?" He asked the scientist.

"What?" The Canadian made a puzzled face.

"Did – anyone – come - here?" John repeated.

"No. Everything quiet." Rodney closed his laptop and disconnected it from the panel. "I'm finished here. Couldn't find anything that has been tampered with."

"Good. Ronon, stay here and make sure no one enters." He directed a look at Ronon's blaster. "Is that thing on stun?"

"Yep." The Satedan picked up his weapon, swiveled it on his finger and put it back on its holster.

"Okay, we're going to the Chair Room." He motioned Teyla to follow him.

**…**

He observed the two men that walked swiftly through the corridors. When one of them turned his head in his direction he quickly hid again in the shadows. They were coming in his direction. This host had an unsatisfactory agility and skill so he decided to trick them. He walked to the middle of the room and lay on the floor, closing his eyes.

**…**

They were sweeping the city after a possessed scientist, something he thought only happened on science fiction stories. Peter felt he was inside an episode of The Outer Limits. He wanted to start humming the opening music, but he knew better than to do that. Not only that would give away his secret geeky passion, it could also give away their position if they were being watched.

At this time the thing probably already knew it was being hunted, otherwise it would have been found earlier. Colonel Sheppard probably thought the same way, because he called more marines to help with the search and was beginning to isolate the vital areas. That meant he needed to be extra careful.

_Only one touch._

Peter and his partner just finished covering the main central section and now walked down a corridor connecting to the South Spire. There were several labs in this section, and they had to look carefully in each one of them, stunners raised the entire time. Each minute longer taken to find their target made his heart pound faster with apprehension.

They reached the last lab of that corridor. They entered it on alert and proceeded around the walls. As he turned behind a table, he saw a man lying on the floor unconscious. He froze where he stood and signaled his partner without making any noise. They carefully approached the lifeless figure, still keeping some distance, but close enough to watch the regular rise of the man's chest indicating he was alive.

He backed away one step ready to call his CO and tell him of their finding. At that moment the little Chinese man moved abruptly and crawled to his partner grabbing his leg. Peter fired immediately and Chan fell limp on the ground. He looked to his partner and saw him lift the stunner to him and fire.

**…**

His new body was much better than the previous one and he looked at his reflection in the glass window. Wide torso, worked out biceps. He placed the wraith stunner on his shoulder and considered his next step.

He tapped his headset.

"Colonel Sheppard, This is Black. I found Chan. He's unconscious on a lab in the southern corridor." He smirked.

"Okay, I'm on my way. Like I said stay clear from him." The response came.

"Copy that, Sir." He pressed the button on the radio again and it was deactivated.

Now all he had to do was wait.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

**DEVIL INSIDE**  
_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 7/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

John and Teyla walked swiftly through the corridors, following the directions given by the marine. He requested backup of four more marines to the lab where the scientist was found and all six joined up near the transporter. As he got closer he wondered what to do with the man. He obviously couldn't kill him, so talking to the entity would be the remaining alternative. He would have to be taken to the brig, a place where he was sure the creature would be out of reach from any possible hosts.

He came into the lab narrowing his eyes to see past the darkness of the entrance. The grip on his stunner got tighter. He lifted it shooting uncomfortable glances around the place. There was something wrong. As his eyes slowly adjusted he peered at Teyla beside him. That little alarm inside him beeped loud on a regular interval now.

The remainder of the group entered the quiet lab in a single line that spread out in different directions as soon as they reached the faintly illuminated part of the room. John continued on in a straight line with the Athosian warrior by his side, studying the room. Every step he took made the alarm beep louder and louder, until it exploded in a blare when he saw the soldier's body beside the body of the astronomer. His muscles stiffened and his eyes went wide as he looked around with even more attention than before.

His heart jumped when he saw the shadowy figure coming down on top of the woman next to him. She was quickly taken down on her back struggling with the big man that had attacked her. Suddenly, she pushed him away using both of her feet and got up, taking John's nine mil from its holster with a smirk, pointing it right to him.

He eyed her in surprise and promptly fired his stunner. She rolled on her side escaping the shot, straightened her body on one knee and fired the weapon several times back at him, all in one swift movement. He gasped as one bullet grazed his right shoulder. He ignored the burning pain climbing down his limb and straightened it back to the aiming position he'd had previously, but she was already gone. He followed the trail of blue lights that illuminated the lab all the way to the door as Teyla vanished through it.

He placed his left hand on the injury and felt the blood covering the lesion. He grimaced slightly with the stabbing pain as he moved his arm back to a relaxed position. His radio came to life with a report that said they had lost her track. He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration.

"I… I am sorry, Sir. Er, I… don't know why …" Black started.

"It's okay." He looked at the disconcerted man. "Tell me what happened."

"We found Chan unconscious on the floor and stayed away like you said, but…" A line appeared between his eyes and his voice faltered. "I don't know what happened next."

John frowned. The creature was obviously very smart taking everyone off guard even though it wasn't supposed to know about the search. His left hand went for his vest and took out the field dressing. He placed it on the bullet wound and wrapped it around his shoulder.

He tapped his earpiece. "Dr. Weir, this is Sheppard. The entity knows we're after it. It's gone to Teyla's body and it's armed. I'm putting the city on alert. All military personnel are to begin searching the city."

"I understand. I'll put Rodney on the city sensors to help with the search." Her response came in.

He tapped the radio again and switched channel. "Lieutenant Brown."

"Yes, Sir"

"The city is now on alert. Debrief the remaining military personnel on the situation and begin searching the city according to plan."

"Aye, Sir."

Elizabeth's voice came in city wide. "Dr. Weir to all personnel. There is an alien entity loose on the city that can take over human as hosts at will. The city is now on alert status. All personnel to stay on their alert positions until further notice."

**…**

The city was now alert to his presence. He looked up at the ceiling of the room. There were some structure beams that would fit nicely into his plan. Teyla's body was athletic and agile, so it wouldn't be difficult to climb up and stay put.

**…**

All teams were spread throughout the city and all civilians were in their quarters except for the medical personnel on duty. John didn't know how much of their intel was compromised, but he worked assuming it was all. If the entity had access to the information in the host's brain, and it seemed likely, it would be hard to track it down and neutralize it.

Rodney's information indicated that Teyla appeared to be somewhere close by and John followed his instructions, sweeping the corridors going to the south spire along with three more soldiers.

"It's just around the corner." Rodney instructed through the radio.

John looked at his own life signs detector and spotted it inside the room on the left side. He lifted his arm and gestured stop with his fist. He looked at the marines nodding and signaling his plan. They would make the turn ready to fire on sight. Three, two, one, go.

They turned around the corner abruptly and for a split second he was confused. There was no one there. On the next one he heard two gun shots and the two men next to him fell dead. He came into action instantly. He rolled on his side to take cover and tried to spot the person above them at the same time. He saw her red hair with the corner of his eye and aimed the stunner as soon as the fluid motion of his body came to a stop in a defensive position. He fired the stunner but missed. She had already jumped to their level and was disabling the only remaining soldier with a powerful swing that threw the man against a wall. As she did that she turned her head and aimed the nine mil at him and fired. He felt the bullet's impact on the left side of his vest and he stepped back with the impact, losing his balance momentarily. She rolled on her side and fired numerous times at him. He rolled too, imitating her movement. He shot one single blast at her as soon as the motion was complete and felt a missile hitting him on the edge of his vest and both collapsed.

The bullet pierced right through the middle of his chest causing a sudden, sharp pain. He fell to the ground short of breath, fighting for consciousness as his vision blurred and came back. Shaking he moved his hand to the location of the pain and felt thick blood oozing from it at a steady pace. The pain only increased and each intake of air was agony. At the moment all his mind concentrated was in keeping the air flowing through the short, hard breaths.

He suddenly remembered Rodney as the scientist screamed in his ear through the radio.

"Colonel Sheppard, please respond!"

He slowly reached for the button on his earpiece. "Rodney…"

"What happened?" Rodney's loud voice helped him keep focused.

"I… had to stun her." He paused to breathe and his vision blurred again. "I was shot." He coughed blood and felt his chest burning. His hand pressed again the wound on his chest, though his strength wasn't nearly enough to stop the bleeding.

"Sheppard?" Rodney asked. "Sheppard?" His voice grew with concern. "Sheppard please respond!" He insisted, but still got no response.

**…**

* * *

TBC… 


	8. Chapter 8

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 8/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

John heard Rodney's shouts, but through the agonizing breaths couldn't find the opportunity to respond. His heart was rapid and his chest felt like it was being constricted. The sharp pain didn't ease up and the simple task of keeping the air flowing was an ever growing anguish. Dark red stained his jacket and vest on his back where he assumed the exit wound was located, and on his chest. The blood kept flowing through his trembling fingers and on the floor beside him a puddle was forming.

He knew he was bleeding internally too. He had coughing fits from time to time that only made his throat tighter and his body weaker. He felt like he was drowning in his own blood and the rapid pulse of his heart gave away that he didn't have too long before he bled to death. Black spots covered his vision as he tried to bring air to his lungs but failed.

Minutes passed without him being able to move. All he could do was to fight for his life; try to stay conscious and try to breathe until he was found.

**…**

Rodney ran along with the med team with the life signs detector in his hand, guiding them towards Sheppard's location. Following them was a group of marines, called to secure the alien entity within Teyla, and Ronon soon joined them.

As soon as they entered the room the medical team rushed to tend the downed Colonel and the ten marines secured the knocked out woman. Rodney froze in the corner and stared at the pool of blood under his pale friend, feeling his own blood slow.

"Take her to a cell and leave the force field on." Ronon ordered the marine in charge of Teyla.

Carson kneeled beside the pilot touching his chest gently. Sheppard opened his eyes weakly, moaning. Rodney couldn't help but notice his paleness, his clammy skin and the blood coming out from the corner of his mouth. The doctor put the stethoscope to his ears then placed it on the chest of the pilot, already freed of the jacket and vest by a nurse while the others worked on taking vitals with speedy accuracy. He couldn't understand how the voodoo that Carson called medicine worked, but he admired their professionalism and ability in an emergency situation.

"We have an open hemothorax. I want two saline IVs wide open stat." Carson's voice was thick with the accent. "I want a tube ready when we arrive."

"Pulse is 130, BP is 50/30." The nurse reported.

Several pair of hands covered Sheppard's body, each performing a different task. The pilot was put in the gurney and the med team hurried out of the room shouting stats and commands leaving Rodney and Ronon to follow helplessly.

**…**

One hour had passed and Rodney continued to pace outside the infirmary with his hands tightly together playing with his fingers. He paused from time to time and looked at the door impatiently.

"They have been there for too long. What's going on inside?" He turned to the woman behind him.

"They are doing their best, Rodney." Elizabeth stood with arms across her chest looking equally worried. "Why don't you sit down?" She indicated a seat beside her.

He couldn't stand still. Rodney resumed his hurried pacing, biting his fingernails. How could he be so reckless? It was his fault that the creature was released and now Sheppard was dying because of it.

"What if he dies? I'm responsible for killing my own friend!" Rodney directed pleading eyes to Elizabeth, his voice sharpened by doubt.

"He's _not_ gonna die!" Ronon spoke in angry grunts. "Stop pacing!" His eyes shot lasers at Rodney.

Rodney saw the fierce look on the runner and decided it would be best not to upset him. He halted and went sulking to a corner. The waiting was always the worst part. Rodney wasn't the friendliest person. He was actually the opposite, but after all they went through the last few years he really developed important bonds with every member of the senior staff. Being part of a group was something that made him proud. It had never happened to him before and John Sheppard was one of the closest friends he had on Atlantis. He couldn't die.

Another hour passed until the door of the OR opened revealing the Scot still in surgical scrubs. He removed the mask and cap sitting tiredly on the vacant chair. All eyes fixed on him.

"We were able to stabilize him. The bullet penetrated his right lung causing it to collapse almost completely and he lost a lot of blood. We sewed his injuries, placed a chest tube to remove the air and blood from his pleura and are replenishing the loss of fluids." Gentle blue eyes gazed back at the worried expressions.

"Is going to make it?" Rodney asked on a fragile voice.

"Yes, it will take a few weeks for his lung to re-inflate completely, but he'll make it. He's a tough lad." His frown turned into a faint smile.

"Can we see him?" Elizabeth asked.

"Shortly. He's taking a chest X-Ray now then he'll be set into the ICU. I'll call when he's ready." The doctor got up and headed back into the infirmary leaving the rest staring at each other in concern.

Rodney sat down at the seat previously occupied by the physician and put his face to his hands. It was happening again. Sitting and waiting for a medical report on Sheppard's condition wasn't new to him. It first happened when the jumper got stuck on the stargate while Sheppard had a giant bug attached to his neck. Then again when he was infected with the wraith retrovirus and almost turned into a giant bug himself.

That's what happens when your best friend is a damn space hero and smart ass. He gets to your nerves on a daily basis, gets all the attention by putting himself in harm's way to save the day and then Rodney is the one to feel bad for releasing the alien creature and getting his blood pressure to rise like a rocket.

"If he survives this," he raised a finger "I'm gonna kill him!" Rodney said angry.

He heard a faint chuckle coming from Elizabeth. "He sure knows how to get us worried." She sat down running her hand down her hair. "We're…" She stared at the floor. "We're getting too used to this." She said in a low voice. "Aren't we?"

He just gave an angry puff at that remark. He hated the fact that what she said was very true. He knew all the steps already. First scared, then worried, going to angry, then sorry, until they finally laughed about it and left it behind.

Elizabeth continued. "I know this is a dangerous job, but…" There was a pause. "We always manage to make it through. If some day that doesn't happen… if our luck runs out…"

"It will." Rodney said bluntly. He raised his head and saw the gazes over him. "I mean, some day… you know, we won't be lucky anymore." That was the cold reality as he saw it and to believe otherwise was stupid. They had to face the fact that the world is not made of infinite gardens of daisies. The universe is a dangerous place and they were out here all by themselves. He just wished the day hasn't come.

Soon the door opened again and Carson gestured them in. Rodney followed behind the others, hesitating before stepping into the ICU. When he did, the sensation of helplessness took over him. Sheppard was whiter than the sheet covering his body and lay still horizontally on the bed with all kinds of tubes coming out of him. One was inserted through the mouth and down his throat connected to the ventilator, there was a group inserted in his neck carrying a clear liquid in two and blood in the other. Another one was connecting his chest to a bag of liquid stained with blood, a tube came from his wrist and a final one was collecting urine. The place was completely silent except for the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the bag of the ventilator.

Rodney approached the pilot with apprehension, afraid that a breath released too hard would damage him further. He stopped beside the bed with his gaze fixed on broken body. It was so close. They almost lost him. Again.

Elizabeth stood at the opposite side of the bed and touched Sheppard's hand gently. Her fingers traveled over his skin from wrist to fingers and locked with his. She gave a faint smile. He imagined that she felt comforted with finally being with him. He disagreed. He though it was very unsettling.

Ronon stayed at the end of the bed. His eyes never left Sheppard and he looked angry, probably thinking of a way to kill the entity that caused this. That was the hard issue. They couldn't kill it. It was in Teyla's body and they still had no idea what to do with it. Rodney imagined that, most of all, it was this fact that made the Satedan angrier.

Rodney hated hospitals and the ICU specially. It was a scary, uncomfortable place, filled with grief, smells and sounds that only reminded him of the fragility of the human body. Voices were rarely heard and when a sound was uttered it always came as a whisper. People walked slowly, dragging their heavy bodies in a semi zombie state waiting for any news of recovery of their loved ones. He only went to such a place once in his life and it was more than enough. He avoided it since his father had died, but now on Atlantis it seemed like they couldn't escape from it. Even Rodney himself had already been in that bed.

It seemed that no time had passed when Carson came back to drag them out of the infirmary. No one protested. Elizabeth went to continue her translations to find out how the ancients dealt with the entity ten thousand years ago. Ronon went to the brig to try to intimidate the creature, and all Rodney could think off was going to the mess hall to have some lunch and grab a cup of coffee. He would continue with the decryption after that.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 9/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in the update. _

* * *

_**Chapter 9**_

Elizabeth stared at the alien symbols empty minded. The screen saver took over the image and mocked her. She stayed in that position for several minutes, until she sipped from the mug on her desk. She gagged at the discovery that the coffee inside had grown cold. She put the cup back into its original position and ran a hand over her hair. She had to continue her work, but the concentration just slipped away every time she tried. Finally she decided to get up and went to the balcony overlooking the ocean.

It always relaxed her to go there. The breeze off the ocean carried the smell of the salt water and moisture to her face. She supported her arms on the railing and locked her fingers together, observing the horizon. She closed her eyes. Hostile alien energy entities were not covered in college. Dealing with possessed personnel and critically injured military commanders neither. All bases that she had as a negotiator and diplomat weren't enough when you govern a city in another galaxy.

"Elizabeth?" Carson's voice startled her.

"Carson."

His dimples smiled at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's okay. I'm just in a contemplative mood today."

He went to the railing. "Aren't we all?" His deep blue eyes observed the equally deep blue ocean. "I don't know how to do this, Elizabeth, but I think we should run a brain scan of Teyla."

"How do we do that without touching her?" Her eyes switched from the horizon to the physician.

"That's the tricky part, isn't it?" He looked at her. "The only way to do that would be stunning her, but it could alter the results. I would have no way to know if the readings are reliable."

"What about tranquilizers?"

"I'd have to get close to her to inject it." He tilted his head.

"Not if we use a tranquilizer gun." Elizabeth observed Carson's eyebrow lift.

"Aye, we could do that. I hadn't thought of it."

She smirked. "Maybe you had too much on your head."

His tone went serious. "Aye. I do. I'll do that."

"Okay. Tell me if it works."

"Of course." He smiled again and left.

She stayed few minutes longer then returned to resume her work. She needed to make some progress on the translation. For Teyla's sake.

**…**

Ronon sat on the floor in a relaxed position, eyeing the other person fiercely. They had been engaged in this contest for one hour without any of them ever uttering a word. She sat cross legged with a smile on her face looking almost like Teyla, if it wasn't for the coldness inside her eyes. The blue force field glittered between them from time to time reminding them both of their location. Outside her cell four more soldiers stood guard with the big wraith stunners at their sides.

"Is he dead?" She finally spoke on an amused voice.

His expression deepened and he grunted a response. "No." His face got closer to the force field. "You failed."

"It's only a matter of time." She lay down on the floor with a cocky smirk. "I will get my revenge."

"Not while I'm here."

She chuckled. "What are you going to do? Kill your friend?"

"If I have to." He kept a firm gaze on her.

She sat down again and narrowed her eyes. Her expression went serious.

"You know that I would do it." He added angrily.

She didn't respond, only went back to lying down, but this time without the smile. He really meant that. He knew Teyla well enough to know that she wouldn't object to that if it came to it at the end. Of course he would try everything before resorting to this solution, but if it was really necessary, he wouldn't flinch. That thing wasn't human. It was evil. It didn't deserve to live.

He continued to observe his prey for several minutes in silence. She remained in the same position looking amusedly to the ceiling of her cell smiling and smirking from time to time. He attentively watched every reaction from her body, looking for clues of the creature's personality, purpose and goal. So far he was able to ascertain that it was very silly. It didn't mind laughing at its own thoughts and looking like an idiot doing so. He discovered that it was cold and took pleasure in calculated moves and extracting fear and pain from its victims. Obviously it wanted to kill them all. Good. The feeling was mutual.

Ronon heard footsteps approaching from the corridor and glanced back. Dr. Beckett entered the room with another marine that carried a weapon. Ronon knew this weapon, Sheppard had shown to him. It was a tranquilizer gun. It was used to knock out targets like the stunners, but it contained heavy drugs. He got up with an eyebrow cocked, eyeing the doctor curiously.

The woman inside the cell rose to her feet, tilting the head and narrowing the eyes. Ronon took out his blaster and aimed it at her in a fluid motion. Beckett placed a hand on his arm and shook his head once. Ronon got the message but kept the weapon raised in case the soldier missed and nodded in understanding.

The soldier had Teyla in his scope and Beckett nodded to the guard by the wall. The force field was lowered and the dart hit her in the neck barely hitting her when she tried to make a run for it. She fell ungracefully on the ground with a thud.

The doctor sighed loudly. "I am really sorry, Teyla dear." He stepped forward and entered the cell as the door was opened.

Ronon stood out of the way observing the scene suspiciously, ready to fire his weapon should the slumped figure twitch. The rest of the med team entered the brig and placed her body on a stretcher, hurrying out with Ronon following closely. He was not letting Teyla out of his sight.

**…**

Rodney continued to stare at the screen in front of him, the symbols unaltered after hours attempting several different algorithms. He was finding it hard to concentrate and was constantly distracted by the images that haunted him every five minutes. His mind drifted back to the ICU, to his friend lying motionless and pale under all those tubes.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut while stretching his body on the chair. He felt so tired. He looked down at his watch. It was 4AM. He'd barely slept and with the stress of the previous day he needed to get some rest. As he his eyes closed and he almost dozed off he forced his heavy eyelids to snap open again. He couldn't sleep. Not while that thing remained a threat to Teyla and the city. _Buck up, Rodney!_ He could almost hear Sheppard shouting at him.

He put on a defiant expression, clapped his hands and continued his work, typing furiously. For those remaining hours of the night he ignored any calls from his body and all distractions from his mind, determined to find a solution. He didn't stop the fast typing and the racing of his brain until the sun was already high on the sky. He opened his arms and raised his hands beside his head with a satisfied smile on his face.

**…**

* * *

TBC… 


	10. Chapter 10

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 10/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

Elizabeth decided to take a break from her office to check out John's condition. She knew that Carson would inform her of any change in the Colonel, but somehow she knew that being at his side would greatly help her concentration. For that reason Elizabeth brought her laptop along with her under one arm and a cup of coffee in the other hand. She wore a tired expression on her face and the lines under her eyes betrayed her best attempts to look like she actually had any rest during the night.

"Elizabeth?" Carson approached her from her side and caught her off guard. "What are you doing here?" His voice carried a tone of concern.

She paused and turned to him "I needed to get out of my office. See if there is any change in his condition."

"I told you that you would be the first one to know if there is." His eyes turned to the laptop she carried. "Thinking about staying a bit longer, hmm?"

"I have a lot of work to do and couldn't focus." She tilted her head. "I hope you don't mind."

The Scot let a smile light up his face. "I don't mind as long as you don't overdo it. You didn't happen to be working the whole night, did you?"

"Carson…" She didn't want to sound pleading, but that's how it came out. "We are in the middle of crisis and-"

"What about food? Did you get any of that into you since yesterday?" He crossed his arms in an intimidating fashion.

"As a matter of fact, yes." She tilted her head and lifted an eyebrow. Carson continued to stare at her. "You can check with the attendant at the mess hall if you doubt me."

"I certainly will." He patted her in the shoulder. "Don't work too hard, Elizabeth."

"How's Teyla?" Elizabeth asked to change the subject.

"Yes, Teyla. I did a complete set of tests on her and the last few results just came in." He led her into his office and showed his notebook filled with charts and names totally unrecognisable to her. "It all falls into place. The scan result from last night showed an abnormal brain wave pattern suggesting that there is another, well for the lack of a better word, another person inside her." He awaited her nod before continuing. "There are also slightly elevated chemicals in her body that are conflicting, making it difficult to interpret."

"Conflicting?" Her gaze shifted from the screen of the computer to the blue eyes beside her.

"Yes, some of then indicate a sense of awareness and other substances only show in a deep state of coma. It could be from the entity trying to keep Teyla at bay while it's occupying her body."

"What about getting it out of her?"

"I have no idea how to do that." He tinned his lips.

She sighed. "Okay, doctor. Rodney is finished with the decryption and the translation is coming around. Hopefully we'll be able to figure this one out from the ancient data base." She smiled.

"Aye, hopefully."

**…**

Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow and lifted the corner of her lip. She was seated across from Sheppard's bed with her laptop on a tiny surface that she transformed into her desk for the entire morning. She looked up and her eyes met the still figure on the bed. The faint hiss of the ventilator and the constant beep of the heart monitor were the only clues that he was actually alive. That sight still got to her. His pale features and all the wiring and tubes connected to his bed, most of all performing functions she couldn't understand completely, showed her the danger they were constantly facing.

She caught herself imagining if things would have turned out differently if she had listened to Rodney and John on the night they first talked to her about their suspicions. Maybe Radek could have worked out some information ahead of schedule and warn them about the energy creature.

She went back to staring at her computer screen and re-read what she just finished translating. Two full pages containing information on the detection and very complex explanations on the physics and the physiology of the entity took most of the night and morning to finish. Important clues as how to deal with this creature was being slowly released throughout the text, but nothing definitive. She still had a lot to translate; even with several teams dividing the job into parts it was a huge task. She imagined that maybe she got stuck with the worse part. All the technical jargon was especially difficult to translate and she was happy for the Canadian scientist that now napped silently on a bed beside the colonel for helping her with that.

Deciding she was satisfied with the final version of this part of the work, she opened the next file on that folder to begin her analysis. It was even more complex. It was twice the size of the previous file and most of those words made no sense to her on an overall look. She rubbed her eyes, expecting them to see the letters clearer afterwards, but she still stared blankly at the foreign symbols for several moments until a slight movement caught her eye.

She looked over the bed and saw a flicker of John's fingers. She stood up promptly and walked up to his bedside noticing another move from his hand.

"John?" She couldn't avoid the smile that appeared on her face as she saw the frown forming on his face.

She hurried to the door and called Carson out of his office.

When she reentered the ICU Rodney was standing beside the Colonel pointing a finger towards the bed.

"He's regaining consciousness." Rodney said.

She stopped beside the scientist and the CMO examined his vitals on the screen beside the bed then gently peered over Sheppard's face as the pilot's eyelids flickered, attempting to open.

"C'mon now, Colonel, snap them open for me, please." The soft accented voice spoke.

"John?" She called as his eyes slowly started to open.

**…**

The first sensation he felt was the one on the back of his mouth. He tried to swallow, but felt the presence of the tube and coughed. He panicked for a moment when he felt the tube blocking his throat. He tried to get his hands to take the tube off, but they didn't move. He watched the face looking down at him and gentle hands touched both of his shoulders and a familiar voice spoke to him.

"You have a tube down your throat doing the breathing for you, lad. I know it's uncomfortable, but it's necessary. Just let it do the job."

The words settled into his brain and he nodded in understanding.

"I'll take the restraints off now. Promise you won't take the tube out."

He nodded again and the restraints were removed. Slowly, the images that last registered into his brain started to come. He wanted to speak, but the tube prevented him and every try he made provoked an unpleasant sensation as it rubbed against his throat.

"Don't try to speak." Carson observed.

"John?" A female voice called. It was Elizabeth. She appeared in his line of sight and smiled.

There were so many things he wanted to know. He wanted to ask them about Teyla, if she was all right, what happened to the entity, if the city was safe, if they got rid of it, but none of these things escaped his lips. He just stared blankly at Elizabeth and Carson peering over his face and tried to turn to look at them better, but was held by the hands of the physician.

This was without a doubt one of the worse sensations he had ever felt. The helplessness, his inability to communicate, and how vulnerable and exposed he felt with their stares of concern over him.

"It's okay, John. Don't worry about anything and just focus on getting better." Elizabeth spoke softly to him.

"Yes, and don't you dare scare us like that again! Do you know what you did to my blood pressure as I kept calling for you on the radio without getting a response?" He recognized Rodney's voice even though he couldn't see him. "Is it difficult to warn me that you're dying instead of simply staying quiet and moaning to yourself?"

"Rodney!" Carson shot a warning glance to the scientist.

John chuckled at Rodney's snarky outburst and coughed slightly because of it. A smile crept up his lips under the tape of the tube as he slowly closed his eyes again. He tried to keep them open, but the tiredness consumed him and soon he was back in the land of dreams.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 11/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

The day went by with little progress on the translations. The files were extensive and incredibly detailed with useless information and technicalities. Rodney had to divide his time between three different teams of translators, and all of them were now working in his lab exhausted. Rodney's own patience was running increasingly low over the last few hours due lack of rest and the stress of the job. He closed his fists so hard that his knuckles were white and his hand was trembling. He took a deep breath.

"Are you stupid? Where did you get this nonsense from? It's pure gibberish! The words are all scrambled and have the wrong meanings! See! This does not mean random pattern, it's systematic pattern! The total, complete opposite! Where is your head? Did you forget it somewhere?" He shouted loudly, spitting all over the man in front of him.

Everyone on the near vicinity stopped their work to stare at him and the poor soul to which the explosion was directed. Rodney was breathing hard and his face was as red as a rotting tomato.

"What are you all looking at? Back to work!" He shouted.

"Doctor McKay, we've been working non stop for twelve hours. All of us are finding it hard to concentrate. We need a break." A woman beside the man explained calmly and firmly. "And so do you." She kept a firm gaze on him.

He closed his eyes and tried to breathe steadily and deeply. The redness in his face disappeared after a few intakes, but he still kept his jaw shut tightly. He usually didn't care about what anyone else was thinking about him, but at the moment he felt his own leadership skills failing. The new translating team working with him was rebelling begging for rest not only for them, but for him too. The scientists that worked for him gulped around the woman that obviously didn't know his working system and returned to their tasks, shooting nervous stares at her.

One of the first rules that his minions learned is that no one begs for time off. You earn them if you get your job well done. That was a rule he applied for himself as well. He would not stop until his work was well done and finished, even if that means going on days without sleep.

"You'll get your break as soon as this page is finished and corrected." He spoke clearly and slowly then went back to his laptop.

They had to solve this soon, because now they had a time frame. According to the data, the host's body starts to deteriorate after twenty four hours with the entity inside and they just reached that limit. From now on, Teyla would start to suffer increasingly until she died from the trauma to her system and he was the only one that could find a solution to this problem.

**…**

Carson stood on the observation balcony staring at the bed below in the isolation room with arms crossed. The only sound inside the room was the faint snoring from Ronon sleeping on a chair in the back. Teyla slept too, unaware of what was happening to her body. The thought of what that bloody creature was doing to her enraged him. Having that thing stealing her body and thoughts was a violation.

He was keeping her under sedation since her exam the previous night and now he was thankful he did so. Rodney had informed him a few hours earlier about the deterioration of the body after twenty four hours of exposure to the entity so now he took hourly exams and kept her vitals in check every minute. He could perfectly understand the evolution of the condition now and the frustration of not being able to do anything besides keeping her asleep consumed him every time he thought about it.

The Colonel was improving slowly, but still at a faster rate than he would normally expect. He had learned never to underestimate Sheppard's healing capacities. The man was one of the luckiest, strongest and most resilient patients he ever had. That shot could easily have been fatal. When a bullet enters the ribcage it's all set for disaster. It can ricochet on the ribs and sternum and the damage is unpredictable. It can easily hit the heart, the aorta or any major organ in the chest cavity, but he managed to get away with a minor lung injury. It was too early to give any estimates, but judging from past experiences he imagined he would be out of the ventilator in a few days (meaning that Carson would have to endure his complaints about boredom) and out of the infirmary in a couple of weeks.

He heard someone enter and turned to see Elizabeth Weir coming to stand by his side. He smiled heartily. She looked a wee bit more rested.

"How is she?" Elizabeth asked, looking down at the isolation room.

"Her deterioration has begun." He said quietly. "Her adrenalin levels are skyrocketing. She can't continue like this for long." He let his worry into his voice.

"How long?" She looked into his eyes.

"I'm keeping an eye on her progress. She has an increased heart and respiratory rate as well as blood pressure. If this continues, her immune system will be compromised, she could have hypertension crisis, insulin shock, lesions on her heart and will grow increasingly weak until she dies. We're doing our best to try to give her some kind of treatment, but all drugs we've given her so far have been ineffective in diminishing the accelerated heart. I'm not sure what else can be done." He sighed deeply and rubbed his face to fight his frustration.

"I know you're doing your best, Carson." She squeezed his shoulder.

"Aye, but is not enough." It hurt his heart to acknowledge the fact.

"You're exhausted, get some rest." She said softly.

"I can't. Not until she's out of the woods." He turned back to watching Teyla. "How's the translation going?"

"Slowly. The ancients kept a huge file full of futile details." He sensed her frustration. "It will take time." She closed her eyes.

That was something they didn't have. If only he could find a way to slow her progress while they worked on finding a solution to give them more time. He narrowed his eyes as an idea crept into his mind.

Elizabeth apparently noticed the change on his expression. "What, Carson?"

He lifted his head to face her with his eyes widening. "I could give you an extra twenty four hours." He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that before. He saw Elizabeth's blank frown and elaborated. "What if I take her off the sedatives and offer another host for the time being?"

She tilted her head and lifted an eyebrow. "That should work. But who-"

"I'd be more than wiling to volunteer." His patient's welfare was in his hands and if that was the only treatment for it, he would take his chances.

"You can't. You're the CMO! Teyla will need to recuperate and Sheppard is in the ICU…" She started to try to change his mind, but his decision was already made.

"My medical staff is more than capable of handling it. The Colonel is starting to show signs of improvement, and Teyla will start to recuperate the minute the bloody thing is out of her." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Please, Elizabeth, let me save her." He begged softly.

**…**

* * *

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 12/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

_A/N 1: Thanks for all the feedback! I really apreciate it. _

_A/N 2:For those wondering about the creature's reasons, I hope it's left clear in this chapter._

* * *

_**Chapter 12**_

Elizabeth looked into his blue eyes as he begged her to allow his volunteering. Carson was feeling helpless watching Teyla's deterioration without being able to do anything about it, and now he could stop it. She knew that Carson carried his heart on his sleeve when his patients were concerned and she couldn't simply order someone else to volunteer. She couldn't deny the fact that he was right. The Atlantis' medical staff was the most competent in two galaxies and could stay twenty four hours without the CMO. Besides, he does need the rest.

She pursed her lips and finally said. "Okay, Carson."

"Thank you, Elizabeth." His features relaxed and he held her shoulder.

"How long until you are ready?"

"It will take a few hours for her to wake up. I can call you when it happens."

She only nodded and watched as he exited towards the isolation room. She just hoped they were able to solve this in twenty four hours. She didn't want to face this situation all over again in the next day.

**…**

Carson was already in scrubs outside the isolation room with Dr. Keller, a few of nurses and soldiers armed with stunners and a tranquilizer gun. He took a deep breath as he stared at the closed door.

He looked at the syringe he held in his hand. He had to do this.

It would be painless and he wouldn't remember a thing. He still felt uneasy when he thought about the last time he came in contact with that thing, but this time would be different. It would sleep for the next 24 hours, wouldn't cause any havoc and he would have plenty of rest out of it.

They had made all arrangements to have a secure transition. The marines were briefed to identify the correct moment to shoot the dart at him and knew their positions. The gurney and an emergency team waited a short distance away ready to storm into the room the minute he fell unconscious. He turned to Keller.

"Colonel Sheppard needs to be monitored in a few minutes. Check the chest tube and the re-inflation of his lungs according to my notes on his file. I left everything detailed for you there. Teyla will need to be checked after the entity leaves her. She will probably need help to lower her metabolism. You'll know what to do." Carson smiled reassuringly to her.

"I don't know if you really should be doing this, doctor." Keller said.

"Don't worry, lass."

"You're the CMO." Keller looked at him with doubt in her eyes.

"I want to do this." He spoke softly. "You'll do fine as acting CMO, Jennifer, it's only a day." He smiled and touched her arm.

"Right. It's…" She looked down. "I never ran a department before."

He touched her chin with his fingers and lifted her face. "I have faith in you, that's why I made you second in charge." He stared gently at her until she smiled. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll be fine." Carson hugged her.

"Thank you." She left his embrace comforted. "We'll be fine."

He looked around at the faces of his medical staff with a reassuring and determined expression and they nodded in return. They were all ready.

He turned to the door and nodded at the marine to open it. Carson took one step and entered the room, making his way to her bed with only one brief hesitation. The soldiers entered right after him, weapons at the ready. The nurses and Keller waited outside, ready to enter as soon as he was down.

He stopped by Teyla's bed and waited a few moments. Teyla's vitals indicated she was near consciousness. He looked up to see Elizabeth and Ronon above at the observation room looking down at him. He readied the syringe he was holding and injected the content into her IV-line, observing as she started to slowly wake. Her eyelids flickered until they opened and looked at him. Her eyes were the same as Teyla's but stared at him in a way he never thought she was even capable of doing. There were so much coldness and hatred inside them that he had to restrain himself from stepping back. He put a serious and determined face and touched her arm right above her restraint.

_C'mon get out of her._ He mentally asked.

She gave a wicked smile. Her head rose slightly until the marines were in her line of sight. Her smirk grew.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"You will leave this body and come to mine." He said firmly.

"What if I don't want to?" Her head bent to one side.

"This body is dying. You need a new one."

She laughed. "Oh really? Since when?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you want to leave?"

"If all I accomplish is killing one Atlantian, I'll be happy." She raised an eyebrow and broadened her smile returning to her sleep position.

"Why do you want to kill us?"

She chuckled. "You're just like them." Her gaze fell on him again. "They poked, experimented and tortured me for years without ever caring to give me what I really need. No sustenance. Nothing." Her voice was full of hatred and her lips trembled as she spoke.

"What kind of sustenance?" He imagined that it would eat whatever the host ate, but now he doubted the idea. She needed more.

"I need to have fun and you're just like them. Locking me up, boring me to death."

"Fun?" What was that thing talking about? Killing people is not fun.

"Yes. Fun. That's what sustains me and keeps my energy alive."

That was new. An energy entity that feeds on emotion. "But why do you kill people?"

"Because it's fun!" She smiled amusedly. "The hunting game, the suspense, the fear, until finally the prize comes. Pain and suffering. Death." There was a pause. "The dessert." She said softly.

He scowled in surprise. It was a bloody insane creature. A psychopath that enjoyed killing for pleasure. He felt more disgust for the thing than he had ever felt towards anything else. He looked up to the figure observing the scene that imitated his deep frown. Elizabeth hugged her chest and nodded, closing her eyes. He sighed. The entity would not leave Teyla willingly. He headed to the door, asked a syringe from Keller and injected it into the IV-line to make her sleep again.

**…**

* * *

TBC… 


	13. Chapter 13

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 13/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

_A/N: I'll get this over and post the final two chaps._

* * *

_**Chapter 13**_

There were whispering somewhere nearby. John still couldn't make out the words or who was speaking, but it got clearer every second as he slowly came back to life. He heard Elizabeth's voice speaking, then Rodney right next to her, and Carson. He fought his way to the land of the conscious, trying hard to open his eyes. As he slowly regained his senses, memory flashes from the hunt and the combat with Teyla returned to his brain followed by the brief moment of awareness he had afterwards. He tried to move, but was overcome by weakness.

When his eyes finally snapped open he was overwhelmed by the presence of so many different senses washing over him. The voices, the beep and the hiss, the disinfectant, the light, the tube in his mouth, the tape on his face and even the sheet over his body. For a moment he lay there, considering himself lucky to be able to feel all that again.

Hearing their voices speaking in low tones by the end of his bed made him warm in a way he rarely felt before coming to Atlantis. Now that feeling was even becoming common to him. Feeling he was somewhere he belonged, with people that were more than his friends. They were his family. They weren't even talking about him, but the fact that they chose to have a conversation at his bedside instead of the mess hall or someone's office was all he needed to know that they really cared for him and he just lay there immobile and quiet, not only because he was unable to speak, but because he didn't want to.

"We were finally able to get to the important part of the text, but the bad news is that we need to recharge the cage that was holding it and it takes time." Rodney spoke in a very atypically low voice.

John was happy that he was not making any noise; he could now know how they were doing against that thing.

"How long?" Elizabeth asked.

"I have no idea. It may take several hours."

"Rodney, we don't have that many hours. Teyla is still deteriorating." Carson's statement concerned John. That thing was still inside her and now they had to fight against time.

"I know. Look, Radek was examining the cage last time we heard from him, maybe he has something." Rodney said.

"We'll call him and tell him to bring it here. Just figure how to make it work again." Elizabeth whispered. It looked like they had a plan, just not the time to get it done.

"It doesn't need to be full power, just enough to lock it down again and there are some hints on how to do this further on the text. It just needs to be translated." It was Rodney again.

"All right, I want all translating teams working on that."

That damn creature is still causing them trouble. It was doing something to Teyla and he couldn't do anything to help. His sense of helplessness came back to him mixed with frustration and anger. It must have shown on the heart monitor, because soon Carson was in his line of sight staring at him.

"You should have made us aware that you were listening." The Scot said.

_Why? So you could keep me out of the loop. It's just my body that is broken, not my mind._

"Don't worry, John. We have all under control." Elizabeth appeared right next to him.

_Really? It didn't sound like that to me. Fighting against time is not having things under control, Elizabeth!_

"Just rest and next time you wake up, it will all be solved." Carson gave his best bedside manner smile which pissed John off slightly. Being treated like a damn kid didn't sit well with him.

_Maybe __you__ could sleep over the crisis, Carson. It certainly looks like you could use some._

Having a mental argument with his friends was way too strange for him, but it suited well for the moment. He felt better already. Not too much, but enough to decrease the beep frequency coming from the monitor. Even if he wasn't injured there would be nothing he could do anyway. It was a Rodney type of problem. Maybe he would just follow Carson's advice and skip over the stress of wanting to be in charge just for once. Away from those responsibilities. He was feeling increasingly tired anyway. He just nodded and gave in to his tiredness.

**…**

Rodney paced frantically from one group to another, overseeing their progress and working on his own project. The recharging of the cage was a little more complicated than he expected and even with all the time that Zelenka had spent working on it at the ruins, the proper settings hadn't been discovered yet. The translation teams stopped complaining about rest and time constraints several hours ago when Carson came in saying that Teyla had little over twenty four hours before her body broke down under the stress. Now he also had Elizabeth's help on the translations and Zelenka's on deciphering the power outputs for the device.

He sat beside the Czech taking a sip from the tenth cup of coffee and examined the readings on his PC.

"We're getting there, but it still needs to be refined." Radek said.

"Definitely closer, but still not close enough." Rodney replied.

The Czech cursed on his own language. "We can't keep on like this!" He adjusted his glasses. "It will take forever to try to crack this by trying each and every possibility!"

"Oh, well, really? If you got any other way to figure it out, I'm all ears!" Rodney shouted in return.

"I'm not saying that, Rodney! I just hate random guesses."

"Me too! But that's all we can do unless _those_ people come up with the right answer!" He waved at the teams working around them. It was frustrating having to rely on others to solve the puzzle when no one was actually able to work as fast or as well as he could. And it didn't help his job when he was interrupted every five minutes because of their incompetence in coming up with an answer to their own problems. Radek only sighed to that remark.

After a period of silence Elizabeth called from her workbench. "Rodney, is this it?"

Rodney promptly directed his attention to her. Her laptop displayed a series of numbers followed by power measures. He scrolled through the data with a grin building on his face.

"Yes, yes this is it." He carried her laptop to his work station without ever taking his eyes off the screen. He started typing the setting into the control of the naquadah generator to start the charge. It started emitting a low hum and the indicator lights on the bottom of the cage device started to blink. Rodney could hear the satisfied sighs from Radek and Elizabeth from behind him and sat back relieved.

**…**

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TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

**DEVIL INSIDE**

_By ErikaHK_

**Title** Devil Inside - Ch. 14/14  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett  
**Genre: **Drama, Angst, H/C, Suspense, Gen  
**Disclaimer:** Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

**Summary: **A mysterious entity takes over the bodies of the members of the Atlantis Expedition. Season 3 pre-Sunday. No spoilers.

Special thanks to my beta Lauriel!

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_**Chapter 14**_

The cage was brought to the isolation room. Rodney prepped the device to do its job while the others waited impatiently. Carson and a nurse stood by one side of Teyla's bed and Rodney on the other. A group of marines guarded the room by the door, observing the still body. Up on the balcony Elizabeth, Radek and Ronon observed showing their own signs of concern.

When he was ready he looked up to Elizabeth and nodded. He directed his gaze to Teyla. Her face was sweaty and warm, but other than that she looked normal. If he didn't look at her vitals on the monitor he could imagine she wasn't dying. Finally he touched the side of the cage to open it. The top portion slid away and a beam of white light touched Teyla's face. The humming increased and the light became stronger. For a few seconds everyone stared, hypnotized by it, until a sphere of bright light came out from the body lying on the bed, zoomed into the box and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Carson approached her body and touched her forehead.

"It's cool." The doctor said.

The nurse smiled and observed the monitor with her life signs. "Her vitals are returning to normal." She said..

In the blink of an eye all the tension inside the room vanished and relieved sighs were heard. Rodney read the indicating lights and concluded that the entity was safely kept inside the box and the power readings were stable.

"The creature won't get out anytime soon, but the cage still needs to be fully charged." He said.

"Good job, Rodney." Came Elizabeth's voice from the speakers.

He made a big grin and a thumbs up to her before proceeding to leave the isolation room with the cage in tow.

**…**

_Two Weeks Later_

John sat on his bed with his _War and Peace_ book which Teyla had brought him from his quarters. She gave him a sideway glance when he opened the book. After three years reading it he was still on the first quarter of the book. He considered it right on schedule, but she expressed her belief that he should have finished it by now. He tried to explain how hard was to read that book, especially because he always had reports to write, read and a very demanding schedule on his hands and she laughed at that statement. He failed to understand what was so funny about what he said. That was when Rodney, Elizabeth and Ronon came into the infirmary.

"Hey." John waved at the newcomers and put down the book. "How are things going on Atlantis? No more crises?"

"Fortunately not." Elizabeth smiled warmly at him. "But I'm sure one will come as soon as you leave that bed."

John frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that you have a talent in bringing trouble to this city." Elizabeth sat at the empty bed next to his.

"Well, I remember I warned you about that at the inauguration party." He pointed a finger at her with a smirk.

"Then this is my fault?"

"I'm not the one that touched that strange box containing an alien entity that invades people's body to cause havoc." He gave a pointed look at Rodney.

"It's not my fault, either!" He shouted. "It was running out of power! It was an automated response!"

"Oh, yeah. Sure it was." He turned to Ronon, who was still quiet. "What's up big guy?"

"We should kill it."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "We are not going over this all over again. The only way to kill it is to kill the host body which it resides."

"Shouldn't it die eventually if it stayed in that box?" John asked.

"No. When it is inside it stays in a semi-comatose state. It didn't die in ten thousand years and it won't die anytime soon. And if the power runs out, it will be released into the environment to seek another life form to bother. It can die if it stays outside for too long, but we can't guarantee anyone's safety in the meanwhile. That leaves us no choice but keep it here under our eyes making sure it has power and it will stay safe." Rodney gave his detailed answer. John and Ronon just shrugged.

"When are you leaving the infirmary?" Ronon asked.

"Carson said it will be soon. I'm very near one hundred percent again." He beamed.

"I wonder how long it will be before you're back in here…" Rodney had quizzical look.

"We could place a bet." Ronon said.

"That's a good idea." Rodney smiled. "I bet it will be a month and a half."

"You're not betting over that!" John protested.

"A month." Ronon said.

"I'm not even out of here this time, and you're already discussing the next time? If there is even going to be a next time!" John's objection went unnoticed.

"Two months." Even Teyla got into it.

He gave a sharp look to Elizabeth, who now had all eyes on her.

She smirked. "Three weeks."

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, everyone!" He sulked with crossed arms while everyone laughed out loud. Sometimes that's what it meant to be part of a family: having to put up with the jokes about you after you just survived a traumatic experience.

He loved it.

**The End**

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_A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! _ **  
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